Anders Nilsson wants to remain a Canuck, despite lack of playing time

SUNRISE, Fla. — Anders Nilsson is staying with the Vancouver Canucks as long as they’ll have him. If that means starting three games a month, so be it.

“I would never ask for a trade,” said Nilsson, who hasn’t started a game since Jan. 21 and because of that, has become the forgotten goalie. “For numerous reasons, I’ve been around. I’ve been on a lot of teams. I signed a two-year deal and I want to play here.

“I’m just going to work harder, and stay focused and be committed.”

It’s been a strange season for the Canucks’ backup netminder. Early on, he was the people’s champ. He finished October with a .943 save percentage. Everyone except the coaching staff, it seemed, was leaning on the organization to play him more. For several reasons, and missing a stint when his baby was born was part of it, he never did.

But it all feels so long ago now. You don’t hear much debate about which goalie should start more games for Vancouver. Odd, because Nilsson and Jacob Markstrom, his goaltending partner, are putting together almost identical seasons — the only real difference being scale.

Their win percentages are close (Markstrom is at .473 and Nilsson .433). Their save percentages are near duplicates (Markstrom at .907 and Nilsson .906). But games-played tells an entirely different tale. Markstrom has started 37, or 71 per cent, and Nilsson just 15 games, and only six of those have come in the past nine weeks.

Jacob Markstrom, right, of the Vancouver Canucks talks to teammate Anders Nilsson during an NHL game against Ottawa at Rogers Arena last year.Jeff Vinnick /
Getty Images Files

So what happened?

“I felt really good early in the season,” Nilsson said. “It was a combination of things. Early on, the team played really well and it was easier to play goal. Then the team went into a slump in December, and so did I.”

Nilsson ran through a string of six starts in which he gave up 25 goals. His season hit its low point Dec. 27 when Vancouver coach Travis Green was verbally giving it to him in practice, imploring the 27-year-old to stop pucks and get in shape.

All of this is important because the Thatcher Demko era is coming; you can hear the train whistles from here. The 22-year-old has been tearing up the AHL in New York, carrying the Utica Comets with a .929 save percentage. There are multiple reasons to believe he could be getting NHL starts in the final 30 games of the Canucks’ season. He’s physically ready for the big leagues, and is poised enough to handle at least a taste. And if he were to show well, there’s a possibility he could be an option as the backup next season.

But what would all of this mean for Nilsson? The Canucks reportedly had other goalies targeted in the summer before they signed Nilsson, including Steve Mason and Jonathan Bernier. But even if Nilsson wasn’t at the top of their list, they really wanted him. Either that or they felt they were running out of options. Nilsson had interest shown in him from “a bunch” of teams, he said.

“It was an easy decision,” Nilsson said. “I did have some options. There was a lot of interest. But when it came down to it, the Canucks showed the biggest interest of them all. They were the most passionate about me signing.”

And that’s why many believed it would be a battle between Markstrom and Nilsson all season long for playing time. But Markstrom has been Green’s No. 1, for better or worse. His record, a 15-17-5 mark, suggests he hasn’t exactly established himself yet as the type of starter you can win with. At least, not regularly.

Maybe there could still be a window for Nilsson to prove to Green that he can handle an increased workload. His last start, a 35-save performance in a 1-0 loss in Winnipeg on Jan. 21, may have been his most impressive game of the season.

“I feel like I’m moving in the right direction. That Winnipeg game is probably the best I felt all year,” Nilsson said. “Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted, that was honestly the best I’ve felt all year, even better than when I was having shutouts. I felt like I was really tracking the puck well. I felt like I was slowing the game down. It was really good for the confidence and something to build on.”

Of course, you can’t build on confidence if you don’t play, and Nilsson hasn’t gotten into a game in the last two weeks. Markstrom has started the five games since and his performances have been a mixed bag, which has become typical. Some good in three wins, and a couple too many soft goals in the two losses.

Green was asked if he’s concerned that he’s going to lose Nilsson by playing him so infrequently.

“I love how he responded with his last game in Winnipeg,” Green said. “He’s working really hard in practice right now. He looks sharp. I’m confident when he goes back in, he’s going to be sharp.”

That should be this week, but the way things are going for Nilsson, you can’t be sure.

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